Program Director, Research and Operations

Stanford University; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford Law School seeks a Program Director to lead content and research publications, program operations, and stakeholder engagement.

Reporting to the Director of Private Capital Initiative, you will collaborate with faculty, sponsors, donors, and senior industry leaders, guiding projects from concept to delivery while advancing AI governance and startup finance initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage our research programs, including stakeholder outreach and program improvements.
• Plan and execute the Rock Center calendar of events, including summits and executive sessions, with budgeting and vendor management.
• Serve as a key liaison for law firm and fund partners, sponsors, speakers, data collaborators, and alumni.

Job description

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Stanford Law School Budgeted Salary Range Upon Hire: $115,000-$150,000

About the Center:

The Rock Center for Corporate Governance builds on Stanford Law School’s longstanding tradition of legal scholarship and advances programs and research on corporate governance in its broadest sense. Through research, events, and convenings, the Center advances its mission by fostering scholarship and generating public dialogue and education on cutting-edge issues in corporate governance, capital markets, and law and finance. For example, in addition to programs and research relating to corporate governance, the Center supports research and education on the responsible governance and use of artificial intelligence (AI) within organizations via the Governance & Assurance in AI Networks (GAAIN) Initiative, as well as research and education relating to venture capital finance and startup formation through its campus Form & Fund programs. We additionally support aspiring legal academics through fellowships, which provide a modest number of Research Fellows the opportunity to advance their related research, while immersing themselves in the academic life of Stanford Law School.

Job Description:

The Program Director will report to the Director of Private Capital Initiative. In this role, you will help drive the Center's mission across content and research publications, program operations, and stakeholder engagement.

You will work in close partnership with the Rock Center and Executive Education teams, holding the full picture of what the Center has in motion and moving work from idea to delivery. The role carries significant autonomy and direct exposure to faculty, sponsors, and senior leaders across industry, along with the judgment required for confidential and senior-level matters. The substantive work is equally central. Strong writing and analytical skills are critical, and the Center is looking for candidates who are fluent with AI tools in their daily work: drafting, research, design, and building internal workflows.

Job duties will include:

Research and publications

• Develop and manage our research programs: stakeholder outreach, resource decisions, program improvements, and the recommendations that shape our policies
• Identify and bring in new research opportunities, including collaborations with outside data providers and industry partners
• Take content end-to-end: publications, proposals, briefings, and event summaries. Hold the quality bar on anything that goes out under the Rock Center’s name, and help launch our new publication.
• Source data, run the analysis, and build the reports that drive our content and thought leadership engine

Program operations and execution

• Plan and execute the Rock Center calendar of summits, roundtables, dinners, and executive sessions, owning scope, timeline, budget, vendors, and follow-through
• Maintain and improve the systems that keep us running: CRM and contact management, registration and outreach workflows, project tracking, and reporting
• Contribute to program planning and the funding behind it, and help us maintain budget discipline
• Set priorities, track commitments across everything we have running, keep me ahead of what is coming, and make sure nothing slips
• Prepare agendas, briefings, and follow-ups for meetings with faculty, sponsors, donors, and senior industry people
• Manage scheduling, correspondence, and confidential material that comes with that work

Stakeholder engagement

• Serve as a key point of contact for our law firm and fund partners, sponsors, speakers, data collaborators, and alumni
• Contribute to outreach strategy for communications, partnerships, development, and funding
• Work closely with Rock Center and Exec Ed colleagues, and with Law School and GSB communications, events, and finance teams.